Visayan Daily Star: Help for Mayon evacuees urged

A Negros-based foundation has delivered 9,656 Mingo meals to evacuees displaced by Mayon Volcano’s phreatic explosions starting Sunday until yesterday, and is accepting donations so that more assistance can be sent.

The Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation delivered the Mingo meals to children in seven evacuation centers in Legaspi City, and Guinobatan and Sto. Domingo towns inAlbay, NVC president Millie Kilayko said.

Mingo is a nutritious instant complementary food made of rice, mongo (mung beans), and malunggay (moringa), Kilayko said. Mingo is primarily for infants and toddlers, but is also used for older children in areas of need, she added.

“Our first ‘Mingo for Mayon,’ shipments came from our ready-to-go stocks that are always in place to meet any need as a result of disaster and/or emergency conditions,” she said.

When the Marawi battle blew up, NVC’s Mingo delivery came just within four days after Day 1, Kilayko said.

“Be it where you hear the thunder of explosions or the blast of gunfire, we hope to provide Mingo Meals both to provide comfort and nutritional support to children in such a time of stress away from their homes,” she added.

The number of families affected by Mayon Volcano’s phreatic explosions has climbed to 12,214 which is equivalent to 48,614 persons as of yesterday morning,Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said.

Jalad said 7,455 families or around 28,486 persons were being served at 29 evacuation centers while another 1,518 households or 6,850 individuals were being aided outside.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday raised the Mayon Volcano’s alert level to 4 after it billowed two successive 10-km cauliflower-type ash columns, causing heavy ash fall.

NVC is accepting donations so more Mingo meals can be delivered to the young evacuees affected by Mayon Volcano’s unstable condition, Kilayko said.

Each Mingo meal cost P5.40 inclusive of air freight, she said.

Those interested in helping may contact NVC Foundation Inc. at 034-434-5568 and 0917-300-0342, or donate online at https://www.nvcfoundation-ph.org, she added.